Stolen wild horses may be coming through Borderland
Wild mustangs are often called symbols of the freedom of the West, but a group of up to 30 horses stolen in the last few weeks may now be headed through our region.
The stockyard at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry is one of the places officials think that transporters might try to cross with the horses into Mexico for sale and slaughter.
According to www.netposse.com, the horses from the Jack Black Band were rounded up by three riders Aug. 8 from a private preserve on the Wild Horse Mesa in southern Colorado.
The horses have distinctive white face and back leg markings, and officials believe they were loaded onto up to three trailers and may now be on the way to El Paso and the border.
The stallion of the group is called Jack Black, and has only one eye. The local law enforcement efforts are being coordinated by Constable Angie Sommers, working with the El Paso Sheriff’s Office and Customs and Border Protection
“These are small horses,” Sommers said. “They’re not tall, big horses. They’re small horses with big, bold faces, so they’ll stand out in a trailer. So if people see a trailer full of short horses with big faces, they need to call the sheriff’s dispatch right away, immediately, and let us know where they are.”
The CBP issued an alert to border crossing officers on Friday to look out for horses, and Sommers said they may be loaded in cattle trailers.
Anyone with information about the horses is asked to call Sommers at 915-525-5807 or sheriff’s deputies at 546-2280.
Judy Barnes, the director of the foundation that owns the land these horses lived on, said it’s crucial to find them. The week-plus they have spent in trailers could lead to complications, and some horses may already be dead or dying.
